Sullivan County studies alternatives on housing the homeless

MONTICELLO — First Sullivan County pressured motel owners to lower the prices they charged for emergency housing, and then it instituted changes to lower the number of people needing motel rooms.

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By Leonard Sparks

recordonline.com

By Leonard Sparks

Posted Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Feb 15, 2013 at 7:13 AM

By Leonard Sparks

Posted Feb. 15, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Feb 15, 2013 at 7:13 AM

» Social News

MONTICELLO — First Sullivan County pressured motel owners to lower the prices they charged for emergency housing, and then it instituted changes to lower the number of people needing motel rooms.

Now the county is seriously considering another strategy for reducing its costs to house homeless men, women and families: a long-talked-about, but never-implemented model, in which private housing replaces high-cost motels as emergency housing.

A group of legislators traveled to Delaware County on Wednesday to see firsthand a system that relies on family-style housing and case management in which the homeless are expected to actively look for work and permanent housing.

"It's amazing what they've accomplished," Legislator Kitty Vetter said. "They get more involved with the individual to help make a positive change in that individual's life."

Vetter was among a group of county officials who spent the day in Delhi on Wednesday. The group included fellow legislators Cora Edwards and Cindy Gieger and Division of Family Services Commission Randy Parker and Deputy Commissioner David Sager.

The tour came one month after Delaware County Social Services Commissioner Bill Moon briefed legislators on that county's emergency-housing system. It included stops at separate houses for homeless men and women, and one housing registered sex offenders.

Anyone provided with emergency housing must agree to abide by a set of rules that includes keeping the houses clean and looking for alternative housing and work.

"They have a system where people get jobs," said Edwards. "And they see it very much as a stepping stone to permanent housing."

A new housing model is seen as another way to reduce Sullivan's costs for the state's Safety Net program, which provides emergency services to individuals and families. Counties currently cover 71 percent of the program's costs.

Already, officials have gotten motel owners to reduce the monthly fees they charge the county for rooms, which in the past have been as high as $1,400 a month. In some cases, owners halved their bills.

Some legislators believe they can save even more money by leasing private houses. Moon estimates that Delaware County spends about $20-$25 a night to house one individual, and with better results.